What to see and do. Begin your tour at the visitor center in Johnson City, which offers films and exhibits detailing Johnson's life. A block away is Johnson's boyhood home, a six-room house with period pieces that reflect the atmosphere of small-town Texas in the 1920s. A walking trail leads you to the Johnson Settlement where Johnson's grandfather built a log cabin for his family and headquartered his cattle-droving business in the late 1860s and early 1870s. Heritage skills such as spinning and dutch-oven cookery are demonstrated on site, at the cabin and at the chuck wagon, on weekends. Sometimes visitors are treated to a "typical washday," complete with homemade soap, washboards, and plenty of elbow grease. More heritage skills demonstrations are being added as funding allows.

Fourteen miles west of Johnson City you'll find the Lyndon B. Johnson State and National Historical Parks, where you can board the ranger-guided bus tour of the LBJ Ranch. On your 75-minute ride, you'll go past the "Texas White House," a ranch home purchased and enlarged by the Johnsons in the 1950s. The house itself isn't open, but you can tour the reconstructed LBJ Birthplace, his resting place in the family cemetery, and the working ranch maintained by the National Park Service.

Large groups (15 or more) are welcome but must make reservations in advance by calling 830-868-7128, extension 231 during business hours. The park is open daily from 8am until 5pm but is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Handicapped-accessible facilities are available.